Latest News

Dom Rep gov't seeks help to fight bird flu

SANTO DOMINGO, Dominican Republic (CMC) — The government of the Dominican Republic has announced the creation of a commission to help control and eradicate bird flu.

According to Agriculture Minister ┴ngel EstÚvez ,the commission will work to boost poultry production, and enable the country to maintain its sanitary standards free of the disease, and to monitor the outbreak detected in the northern section of the country.

The agriculture minister disclosed that US Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) , the International Regional Organization for Animal Health (OIRSA), the Inter-American Agriculture Cooperation Institute (IICA), among other institutions, have been asked to provide specialists to manage the disease and work together with local technicians to eradicate the outbreak.

Concerning the outbreak, Estevez said that the avian flu detected in a farm in the northern province of Espaillat is under control, with the international protocols applied.

“Among the measures taken to control the outbreak, the birds and eggs were eliminated, surveillance and monitoring measures were implemented in an area of five kilometres around the outbreak, including epidemiological tracking and maintenance of the quarantine,” he said.

Bird flu, also called avian influenza, is a viral infection that can infect not only birds, but also humans and other animals.

H5N1 is the most common form of bird flu.

It’s deadly to birds and can easily affect humans and other animals that come in contact with a carrier.

ADVERTISEMENT

POST A COMMENT

HOUSE RULES

1. We welcome reader comments on the top stories of the day. Some comments may be republished on the website
or in the newspaper ´┐Ż email addresses will not be published.

2. Please understand that comments are moderated and it is not always possible to publish all that have been
submitted. We will, however, try to publish comments that are representative of all received.

3. We ask that comments are civil and free of libellous or hateful material. Also please stick to the topic
under discussion.

4. Please do not write in block capitals since this makes your comment hard to read.